Cartoon business set to enter fast lane

Monday, March 10, 2008

"Hanuman", "Hanuman Returns" and now "Bal Ganesh", the string of successful animation movies is an indication of the fast growth that the Indian animation industry is poised for after the development of some very advanced software.

“As far as the Indian animation movie production is concerned, a new phase has now started after advanced software has been developed. Technology is key to the growth of the animation sector,” said Ashish Kulkarni of Jadooworks, a Bangalore-based animation company.

As of today, India has about 200 animation, 40 VFX and 35 game development studios, but the country needs more workstations to make optimal use of the potential that the industry has. AK Madhavan of Crest Animation Studios says, “At Crest, we get trainers from the US and Canada to train our staff and help them understand the current trends in animation in the world market. This ensures that the output is on a par with the acceptable levels for international standards, especially Hollywood,” he said.

UTV was the first corporate entity to plan animated versions of India Book House’s popular “Amar Chitra Katha” series in the 1990s. But the project did not get off the ground. A decade later Percept Picture Company (PPC) brought to India its Hanuman series of animation features - “Hanuman” and “Hanuman Returns.” What goes in India’s advantage is that an animation movie can be made here 15 times cheaper than the cost of a Hollywood production. Right now, about 300,000 students are undergoing training in animation technology across India.